Coming back to the sword them, I forgot to say that I wouldn't see the "cut down" sword thing as anything negative. It's a just a change which preserves the preciousness of the original (in the substance) whilst, as you say, making the thing useful for its time.

Before the manufacturing age, even the most powerful rulers and heroes (e.g. in Europe) habitually recycled their possessions: by adapting from an already successful/famous object, you would be providing the craftsman/artist with the most exciting raw material that they could hope for. Think of all the thrones etc incorporating fragments of "the true Cross"! It's the same idea - passing on the holy glow.